Heartstrings
by New Decade
Summary: He wanted everything to be perfect. But for Calleigh just being with him is the definition of perfection, despite the circumstances.


Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

The pleasant aroma flowed through the morning air into her bedroom, though it should more appropriately be called _their _bedroom. The smell of the coffee alerted Calleigh that morning had arrived and she would soon have to change from the black collared shirt that wasn't hers and was almost twice- almost three- times her size and into her professional attire.

But she only opened her eyes when she heard the whine of the floorboard as Eric's foot made contact with it. A cheerful, yet tired, smile at him as she sat up against the pillows.

Eric had a steaming mug of coffee in hand and surprised Calleigh by, not only being up before her (the two normally waking up at the alarm, together), but also being fully dressed and ready to head out. With a side glance at the alarm clock, she realized that she had slept passed the alarm clock, either that or someone turned it off before she ringing broke through her subconscious.

"You let me sleep in," Calleigh accused, playfully narrowing her eyes at him.

"Only ten minutes," Eric shrugged, innocently, sitting on the bed beside her, handing her the coffee.

"Fair enough. Thanks," she said, gratefully, as she took a sip of the coffee.

He reached up to tuck a lock of golden hair behind her ear, sliding his hand to cradle her face, his palm warm against her cheek. Her pale skin contrasted perfectly with his tanned, yet the yin-and-yang also seemed to create a perfect blend, almost as though nature had selected them to mix that way.

Eric leaned inward to put his lips to Calleigh's. He had kissed her dozens, hundreds, hell, maybe thousands of times in the past, but never once did he tire of the way he felt with his lips molded against hers. The way their lips naturally moved together, the same delectable, sweet taste of Calleigh was something he would willing experience everyday for the rest of his life.

"Happy birthday," he whispered when they finally separated.

Calleigh couldn't resist smiling. She had never been one for celebrations or special days, simply because she had always found herself as a party of one; the loneliest number. But the way Eric said it, just the fact he acknowledged it, was enough to make the day feel special, as opposed to normally when her birthday just faded into another date on the calendar.

"Thanks," she smiled, gratefully, taking another sip of the warm beverage. "I thought you had the early callout today."

"Natalia was kind enough to trade and I'm taking hers next week," he said, matter-of-factly, it had been clear to Natalia that Eric had wanted to spend that particular morning with Calleigh and gladly offered her assistance.

"Good ol' Nat," she grinned.

"Yeah," Eric agreed. "I got you something."

"Eric, you know you didn't have to do that," Calleigh smiled, a light blush coming to her cheeks. As far as she was concerned, Eric had already given her the best gift of all—himself, it would be greedy of her to ask anything more, not that she particularly wanted anything.

"But I did anyway," Eric smirked, his eyes glinting both mischievously and excitedly, for a reason Calleigh couldn't fathom. "I'll give it to you tonight. Which reminds me, would you be interested in having a date with me tonight?"

"I would," Calleigh nodded. "Just name the time and place."

"Here at about seven."

"Do I need to be wearing anything specific?" Calleigh asked.

"You can wear anything…or nothing. You'd look beautiful either way."

Calleigh chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Smooth, very smooth," she chuckled as she placed her empty coffee mug on the bedside table. She leaned into tenderly kiss him, snaking her arms around his neck as her lips tugged at his. "I'll be there," she promised as his lips traveled to her jaw.

"Glad to hear it," Eric smiled, dotting sweet kisses along her neck, sending a pleasant shiver down her back. Unfortunately, the two in this position made them vulnerable to each other in the sense that they were a few kisses away from escaping reality and landing in the world consisting of just the two of them. They both had to be at work within the next hour and they knew for the two of them that simply wasn't going to be enough time.

"I have to take a shower," Calleigh sighed in defeat, leaning out and sliding out of bed.

"What time are you going to be out of court?" he asked, knowing she had to testify today for a case she worked prior to his return to CSI.

"Ten, ten-thirty tops," she shrugged.

"Okay, there will be ballistics evidence waiting for you if it's a shooting," Eric promised.

"Ooh, happy birthday to me," Calleigh smiled, eagerly, stealing another kiss from Eric before slipping into the adjoining bathroom.

* * *

To Calleigh's dismay, even though the murder of a local bartender, Sarah Webster, had been a shooting, there wasn't any ballistics evidence awaiting her. The victims body had been discovered in the Everglades, shot three times by, Calleigh was able to determine by the size of the wounds, a small caliber weapon. Sadly, all the bullets were through-and-throughs and there weren't any casings at the scene, either because the shooter had used a Revolver of had collected them after they dispersed. Regardless, Eric and a team of divers were searching the canal waters for a possible murder weapon; it was a search none of them were optimistic outlooks on, it would take a miracle to find a gun in the Everglades.

As Horatio and Frank stood by to observe if the divers found anything, Walter and Ryan went to search the victim's house for anything that could suggest she was taken from her home before being shot in the Everglades. Meanwhile, Calleigh and Natalia looked over all the photographs taken at the scene in the Layout Room.

"We can probably run the pattern on these tire treads to see if they match a certain vehicle," Natalia suggested, looking at the picture in which a distinct pattern was made by the tires of a car. "You're practically living with the car genius, can you get anything from these?"

Calleigh smiled. "You went on a date with a guy who is OCD, it doesn't mean you now color coordinate your closet."

"Point taken, my friend, point taken," Natalia chuckled with a nod.

"The only observation I can make from this is based on the width of the tires and the distance between each one." Calleigh paused to look at the jottings she had made on her notepad. "Based on the measurements, we are probably looking at a sports car."

"See, you are learning something," Natalia smiled, earning an eye roll from Calleigh, but Natalia's attention drifted to someone on the other side of the glass wall. "Speaking of OCD, here comes Howard Hughes' long lost brother. He doesn't look too happy."

The instant Calleigh looked up, she understood exactly what Natalia meant. The corners of Ryan's mouth were pulled down, frown lines furrowed on his forehead, and his eyes were distraught. The women could tell, either by their intuition or their keen observation skills, that Ryan's frustrations weren't a result of the case.

"Cal," Ryan said, poking his head inside the door. "H wants to see you downstairs."

Natalia and Calleigh shared a confused look before Calleigh nodded, snapping off her gloves and removing her lab coat.

* * *

Horatio stood in the lobby, anxiously nibbling on the inside of his cheek as he tensely waited for the one person he knew would be just as concerned about Eric as he was. He tried to keep himself calm, maintaining his cool persona as he repeated to himself how his brother was going to be fine; however, despite the knowledge, the uneasy fear still knotted in his stomach.

He heard a female voice call his name, accompanied by the sound of pacing stilettos hitting the aluminum floor. Horatio turned to see Calleigh walking towards him, a quizzical look in her eye, the one she always had whenever someone else had information she wanted to attain.

"What's going on?" Calleigh asked.

"It's Eric. He's in the hospital," he sighed; in an instant, her emerald eyes turned from being confused to being full of fear.

"What happened?"

"Something happened while he was in the water. Now, he's going to be okay," he promised; Calleigh visibly relaxed. "But he got bitten by a water moccasin."

Her heart sank and a wave of nausea washed through her at the idea of Eric being bitten by a venomous snake.

"But he's young, he's strong and they gave him the anti-venom before any damage could be done. They just want to keep him overnight for observation," Horatio explained, gently. He had known for the longest time the romance between Eric and Calleigh, he had noticed the sideways glances Eric had given Calleigh when she passed him in the lab, or the way he would stare at her as she analyzed evidence. Calleigh was more subtle with her affections at work, but Horatio would notice how she would stand close to him, almost as though a force were pulling them together when they thought no one was looking. Horatio couldn't deny the love that kindled between the two, how happy they made each other…or how much Calleigh had to be worrying.

"I'm going to the hospital," she stated, knowing if anyone could understand her position, it would be Horatio. But when she tried to step around him to get to the door, he surprised her by sliding with her and blocking her path.

"He told me to tell you not to come in," he reported.

Calleigh rolled her eyes, figures Eric would want to keep her at a distance during a moment of weakness, especially when it meant spending the remainder of her birthday with him at the hospital, something she didn't care about.

"That's not going to happen," Calleigh shook her head.

"That's what I tried to tell him. But, sweetheart, he wants you to stay here and finish the case."

"Horatio, I really don't give a damn about the case right now."

"I know," he nodded in understanding. "So I told him you'd be seeing him in about ten minutes at Dade General."

Calleigh smiled, gratefully, at him, thankful he was the one there to talk sense into her boyfriend.

"Thank you," she said before walking around Horatio and heading for the door. "You're the best, H," she called over her shoulder.

* * *

Forty-one…forty-two…forty-three. Forty-three was the room number the nurse at the desk had been kind enough to direct Calleigh towards. Eric had been moved upstairs after leaving the ER to recover.

Calleigh pulled down on the cold metal handle and pushed the door open.

When she saw Eric, she exhaled a breath she felt she had been holding for hours. The tightness in her chest eased and her heart rate returned to normal to see Eric sitting up in the hospital bed. He had a bandage on his arm from where, Calleigh supposed, the snake had bit him and his opposite arm had been where the IV had been inserted into his hand.

He turned towards her; a mixture of joy and a certain saddening came to his dark brown eyes when he saw her in the doorway. Calleigh hypothesized that he had hoped Horatio would have been able to keep her at bay, rather than abetting her for her destination to the hospital.

"Hey," he half-smiled at her, his voice heavy.

"Hey, yourself," Calleigh greeted, her own voice a bit more cheerful than his, cheerful enough to mask the anguish she had in her heart from seeing him in the hospital. Calleigh walked over to his familiar scent as she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist and a reassuring hand running up and down her spine.

"I'm glad your okay," Calleigh whispered as they leaned out of the others arms. "Have the doctors said anything new?"

"They've said I'm going to be fine, that they're going to keep overnight for observation and it'll depend on the tests they'll run tomorrow when I can go back to work."

"Good," she sighed in relief. "And for the record, trying to convince Horatio to stop me from coming wasn't the smartest idea you've ever had."

"No, it wasn't," Eric admitted. "But it was worth a shot. I didn't want you to have to spend the day hospital."

Calleigh rolled her eyes. "You'd stay with me."

"Yeah, but shouldn't have to spend your birthday here with me," he shrugged, taking her hand.

"I was going to spend it with you anyway," she reminded him.

"Calleigh-."

Knowing he was once again about to protest, she used the weapon she had in her arsenal she knew could potentially make him accept she would be staying.

She put her lips to his, cutting him off, softly caressing his lips; it didn't take long until he was kissing her back. This kiss was different than the one they had shared this morning. Though Eric's lips hadn't lost their intensity, they were tired, faint.

She smiled against his mouth, gently breaking the kiss to lean out.

"You should get some sleep," she suggested. "Please."

Eric chuckled at her concern. He shifted his weight to move further from her, opening up more room on the bed.

"Care to join me?" he asked, patting the bare spot of the mattress, inviting her to lie beside him. Calleigh couldn't resist grinning at him and climbing to lie on top of the sheets by him.

"Why not?" she smiling, snuggling beside him as Eric's arm wrapped around her waist. She turned her head upward to her lips to his jaw, catching his eye. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he whispered as she rested her head against his bicep and she could feel his cheek resting atop her head.

* * *

The dream Calleigh had while she slept wasn't a pleasant one. She and Eric were wading in murky water, dozens of scaly creatures circling them as though they were the serpents' prey. The strong current was pulling them further and further apart. They tried to reach for each other without success, they tried fighting the current and tackling it at an angle to escape its stupendous pull, not even Eric with his uncanny swimming ability could get out.

Just when Eric was out of her line of sight, Calleigh's eyes flew open to the pale ceiling, the dream existing no more than a faded memory.

She began to move the fabric of her jacket that covered her wrist so she could see her watch, curious to know how long she had slept.

"It's quarter 'til five," Eric whispered, but his voice still caused her to jump in mild alarm; she didn't expect him to be awake as well.

Calleigh chuckled at herself and lowered her arm, turning to look up at Eric.

"And how long have you been up?" she asked, disapprovingly; he knew that she thought he should still have been resting.

"Ten minutes," he shrugged. Eric had received joy watching her sleeping; it was a pleasure he seldom got to experience and cherished the opportunity when it was laid out before him.

"How are you feeling?"

"Great," he promised, reaching up to tenderly draw his fingers through the strands of her hair. "Really great. Except…"

"What? Are you feeling weak, sick, dizzy?" she asked, anxiously.

Eric couldn't help but laugh, lightly, at how reversed the situation was. Calleigh was known for being the one with the cool head, always calm and always professional, never panicking. As opposed to Eric, who had a habit of letting his emotions or his temper interfere with his job and letting his shielding instincts take rein when it came to the woman he loved.

"Am I this overprotective with you?" Eric questioned.

"No, you are one thousand times worse."

Eric rolled his eyes. "Either way, what I was going to say was that I'm fine. Except for the fact we didn't get to celebrate your birthday," he sighed, regrettably.

"Eric, I've told you, I don't care about celebrating my stupid birthday."

"But I do," he rebutted.

"Well, in a way we are celebrating. You're okay and that is the best birthday gift of all," Calleigh smiled, truthfully, the highlight of her day being when she got the news Eric was going to survive the ordeal.

"I have it with me," he said. "The gift I wanted to give you."

The look Eric had in his eyes was unlike anything Calleigh had seen from him in the longest time, he almost appeared determined to give this mysterious gift.

"If it means so much to you, okay," Calleigh sighed, though she wasn't exactly concerned with what he got for her. But she had the feeling that if she were to decline, his feelings would have been hurt. Besides, seeing the way Eric's eyes illuminated with excitement when she gave permission was worth it.

He took her smaller hand in his larger one, absentmindedly playing with her fingers. His demeanor had subtly changed from excited to nervous, as though his mind was searching for the right words to say. Calleigh waited, patiently, for him to break the silence while his fingertip lightly traced the lines of her palm.

As his finger followed her lifeline, he took a deep, relaxing breath before he looked up at her, a smile etching along her face.

"You know, you never asked," Eric said, suddenly changing the conversation.

"Asked about what?"

"The date we were supposed to have tonight. You never asked what we were going to do or anything."

"Okay, then, what were we going to do?" Calleigh asked, certain the questions were going to lead to something.

"Well, I wanted you give this to you on a special day, otherwise I would have given it to you months ago. I was going to cook a nice dinner, light a few candles, put on some music and I was going to try and think of something hopelessly romantic to say," he admitted with a weak laugh as his IV-ed hand surreptitiously reached under his pillow, his fingers wrapping around what they had been searching for. "But I really hadn't decided on what I was going to say, so I'm going to have to wing it.

"I love you, more than anything and more than I ever thought possible. I have no idea what I did to deserve you, but I would gladly do it over again if it meant I could wake up beside you everyday for the rest of my life. And I wish that I could have made this a bit more special and into something you deserve, but if I had to put this on hold any longer I'd lose my mind," he sighed with a chuckle, his hand finally emerging from under the pillow.

He unwrapped his arm from around Calleigh and grabbed his IV pole with his freehand, being mindful of the tube as he pushed himself out of bed.

"Eric, what are you-." Calleigh started to protest his getting out of bed when he should have been resting; he had lowered himself down to one knee before she had a chance to finish.

She could visibly see what was in his hand, a small velvet box. Eric pulled open the lid to reveal a fair cut diamond ring that perfectly complimented the silver setting. Calleigh smiled down at him, her lips slightly trembling in sheer happiness in spite of herself as she slid over to sit on the edge of the bed, her legs dangling over the side.

Eric held the box containing the ring in one hand, while his other reached up to caress her thigh.

"Eric…" she breathed.

"Calleigh, will you marry me?" he asked, softly, his eyes smoldering.

Calleigh took his face in her hands, her thumb brushing over the light stubble on his cheek as she slid down, her knees making contact with the tiled floor, Eric's hand sliding to her waist.

Calleigh wrapped her arms around Eric's neck, her lips colliding against his zestfully. Eric willingly kissed her back, searching for an answer within her lips, needing to know her answer in words.

"Cal?" he asked, tenderly, kissing the corner of her mouth.

"Yes," Calleigh mumbled against his lips, then she pulled out to look at him square in the eye and nodded. "Yes, of course I will."

Eric chuckled in satisfaction, his heart rising. She had said yes and had agreed to become his wife, his life partner, until the day he died. The dream that had danced in his mind for years was coming true. The image of himself and Calleigh on their wedding day was something that always seemed too far from reality to actually transform into one. Now, the image of her in a white dress and a bouquet of flowers was as clear as daylight.

He tenderly took her left hand and slid the ring on her finger, which slid onto her finger with ease.

"Happy birthday," Eric whispered.

Calleigh wasn't sure "happy" was the way to describe how she was feeling, "perfect" or "magical" would probably would have been more appropriate.

But that didn't matter to her, nothing did except the man she loved kneeling in front of her and the ring he had placed on her finger.


End file.
